Ramaphosa claims South Africa needs deputy ministers

Amid concerns that South Africa’s Cabinet is bloated, particularly in comparison to developed countries, President Cyril Ramaphosa said he does not intend to reduce or eliminate cabinet positions like deputy ministers.

EFF MP Omphile Maotwe recently asked the President whether he believes the positions of Deputy Ministers are necessary, given the size of South Africa’s Cabinet and the country’s prevailing fiscal pressures.

She further asked whether he intends to reduce or eliminate the specified positions, which would align with his previous commitment to restructure the Cabinet and reduce its size.

In 2019, the Department of Public Service and Administration submitted a report to the President calling for a reduction in the size of his Cabinet, Ramaphosa said he planned to do.

The President responded, saying deputy ministers have played an important role since the advent of South Africa’s democracy in 1994. He said they assist ministers in performing their functions and responsibilities.

“In portfolios with a wide range of responsibilities, Deputy Ministers are given responsibility for certain areas of work in terms of Departments’ Annual Performance Plans, ensuring consistent political attention and oversight,” he said.

He explained that the outcome of the May 2024 national elections, which led to the formation of the Government of National Unity (GNU), necessitated a larger Cabinet.

This is because the President needed to ensure that the National Executive is inclusive of all the GNU parties, and it was, therefore, “not possible to reduce the number of portfolios in the National Executive”.

“We have sought to ensure that the National Executive is representative of the people of South Africa, giving due consideration to gender, youth, demographics and regional distribution,” he said.

“The Deputy Ministers appointed in June 2024 continue to add value to the work of government and to support in a meaningful way the implementation of the priorities of the 7th democratic administration.”

The President’s responses come as calls for him to cut his bloated Cabinet as a way to save money and avoid further tax increases.

Daily Investor recently analysed the size of South Africa’s Cabinet compared to that of other countries.

With 77 members, South Africa’s executive far exceeds those of economic giants like the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan.

Drawbacks of a large Cabinet

Many of the critiques of South Africa’s Cabinet size centre around wasteful spending and mismanagement. 

Some also argue that the bloated Cabinet is part of the reason for South Africa’s fiscal crisis, as many of these government officials draw large salaries that need to be raised every year.

In June 2024, the Centre for Development and Enterprise (CDE) called for a significant reduction in the number of ministers in South Africa’s government and a fundamental overhaul of the Presidency.

The organisation said the state’s capacity to develop policies and deliver public services and programmes has been undermined in recent years.

CDE executive director Ann Bernstein highlighted systemic corruption, too many compromised party loyalists, inadequate skills at critical levels, and a lack of accountability for poor performance and wrongdoing as reasons for this.

“At the same time, the government has taken on more responsibilities, creating new government departments and public entities,” she said.

“Adding extra layers of bureaucracy and parallel management structures has made it harder to take decisions and coordinate key actors to deliver on outcomes.”

Therefore, the CDE suggested that the President select the best people available to him – those with the necessary experience and skills to lead large government departments and those with integrity to govern honestly. 

“He should resist the urge to preside over a bloated Cabinet since smaller Cabinets tend to be more agile, more collegial and more accountable,” the organisation said.

In 2023, the DA’s shadow minister for public service and administration, Leon Schreiber, revealed that the country’s large cabinet is costing taxpayers billions.

He said ministers and deputy ministers employed 624 personal staff members, costing taxpayers R1.9 billion since Ramaphosa took office in February 2018.

He added that ministers and deputy ministers live in 97 state-owned mansions in Pretoria and Cape Town worth nearly R1 billion.

Spending on government officials

In a separate Parliamentary question, Minister of Public Service and Administration Mzamo Buthelezi was asked about the salaries of government officials.

EFF MP Sixolisa Gcilishe asked him what steps his department has taken to ensure that the salaries of government officials are aligned with the financial reality of the Republic.

Buthelezi said the objective of the government’s employment and wage policies is to ensure that public sector productivity is maximised in a fiscally sustainable manner and that the government remains competitive in the labour market. 

He said his department realises that public sector wages affect the selection, retention, and motivation of public sector workers, which in turn, impacts productivity, or the amount and quality of government outputs such as basic services,” he said.

He explained that the wage bill represents livelihoods as well as budgetary costs.

Therefore, changes in government wages are likely to produce significant effects on the overall economy, including through personal income tax, delivery of social services, and the social net that protects the vulnerable in society. 

He said the government has done the following in response to the financial reality of the country:

• A Personnel Expenditure Review examined the government’s salary structure, allowances, and related remuneration matters. The study is being consulted with stakeholders and will inform the development of a new Public Service Remuneration Strategy.
• A Human Capital Strategy was developed to ensure that personnel decisions are informed by the Republic’s priorities and that training and skills development initiatives will result in a public service that understands and is ready to respond to the Republic’s financial and developmental realities.
• As part of the Professionalisation initiative, a skills audit is underway to determine the skills and capacities currently existing within the government. This will ensure capacity and productivity throughout the system.
• Lastly, the government has ensured that wage negotiation processes are now aligned with planning and budgeting cycles. This ensures that wage negotiation outcomes are within the national fiscus. 

“For the past five financial years, the government has implemented the salary increases which were within the inflationary rate,” he said. 

“Therefore, the above are measures that the government took into consideration to ensure that the salaries of government officials are aligned not only with the financial reality of the Republic but also the developmental needs.”